Let's find out....
Have you ever asked yourself, "am I coachable?". If you haven't, now's the time...
The other day I was watching my youngest son, TJ., at hockey practice. He did a drill and after he was done the coach came up to him and gave him a tip, or correction to help him execute it better.... Like a good coach does. Well, TJ's reaction was less than appreciative and I was flabbergasted! He didn't even look at the coach while he was trying to talk to him and then of course didn't try and understand the correction. I mean really! I seriously had to calm myself down! I was embarrassed and felt like he had totally disrespected the coach.
Why was I so taken aback?
Because the coach took the time to correct him, to make him better. I would have loved to have at least seen him LOOK at the coach while he was talking to him. But beyond that say "thank you" and then attempt to apply the correction... It's respect and appreciation.
Why is being coachable so important?
Because teachers and coaches love to work with students who get excited to learn, grow and enjoy the process. Guess what? Crosby didn't learn how to play hockey by not listening to his coaches and Baryshnikov didn't become one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time by not applying and listening to corrections. Nobody knows how to do something the first, second or even 100th time they attempt it. It's ok to get corrected. It doesn't mean you're any less fantastic at what you do or that you're "wrong".
What happens if you're not coachable?
You stop getting corrections. The coach or teacher might not think you care. Or in some cases if you cry when corrected or really get down on yourself the teacher or coach stops correcting you because they don't want you to feel bad. Then what? Well, I think you know the answer to that... You don't get better as quickly and may loose some valuable tools and techniques along the way.
I get it. It's hard to hear corrections sometimes. Somedays I feel like I just can't get anything "right". But remember this:
The intention of the teachers/coaches is to make you better because they care. They want to help you become the best you can be.
P.S. I didn't get mad at TJ (I seriously had to calm myself down! hahahaha! ) but we did talk about it decided a nice thank you after a correction is the right thing to do.